Kazakh FM: Russia, Turkey, Iran to hold Syria talks November 28-29

Russia, Iran and Turkey will hold the next round of talks on Syria’s conflict on November 28-29 in the Kazakh capital Astana, Kazakhstan’s foreign minister said on Monday.

“The participants plan to discuss the current situation in Syria, in particular in Idlib, creating conditions for the return of refugees and internally displaced people, and post-conflict reconstruction,” Kairat Abdrakhmanov said in Astana.

The meeting will be the 11th in the Astana peace process -- set up in early 2017 by Russia and Iran, who support President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria, and opposition backer Turkey.

Abdrakhmanov said representatives of Damascus and armed opposition groups would take part, but did not specify what level of officials from Russia, Iran and Turkey would attend.

The Astana process was launched after Russia’s military intervention in Syria tipped the balance in the regime’s favor. It has gradually eclipsed an earlier UN-sponsored negotiations framework known as the Geneva process.

This month’s meeting comes with continued violence threatening plans for a buffer zone around Idlib, the last major opposition stronghold in Syria.

Russia and Turkey agreed in September to set up the buffer zone to avert a Syrian regime offensive, but extremists who hold around 70 percent of the area have refused to withdraw.

Fighting in the area has continued, with extremists on Friday killing 22 regime fighters in an attack on government forces in the northwest of Hama province near the planned zone.